Container for liquefied gases



Oct- 30, 1934- o. A. HANSEN ET AL '1,979,224

CONTAINER FOR LIQUEFIED GASES Filed Jan. 19, 1955 f BY' MdL/3M MMWWPatented ct. 30, 1934 I CGNTAINEB FOR LIQUEFIED GASES Odd Arnold Hansen,Builalo, and Lyman A. Bliss,

New York, N. Y., assi Products Company, ration of Ohio gnors to TheLinde Air New York, N. Y., a corpo- Application January 19, 1933, SerialNo. 652,434

7 Claims.

This invention relates to containers for liquefied gases, andparticularly to containers of the insulated type ior gases which existin the liquid phase only at temperatures below 273 K.

The invention has for its object generally an improved construction andarrangement of parts in containers of the character indicated, which iseiiicient, economical and readily manufactured.

More specifically, it is an object to provide a l container forliquefied gases with a pressure vessel constructed with a lining orbasket arranged to conserve liquid and to avoid losses due to splashingin case the container is moved or transported.

It is also an object to provide pressure vessels for containers of thecharacter indicated with a spaced lining or basket construction whichhas a closed-in top and provided with conduit means whereby thepressures within and without the basket are equalized.

Still another object is to provide a construction in pressure vesselshaving a spaced inner 'lining or basket with an improved arrangementaiording passage of the'pressure equalizing conduits through the wallsof the pressure vessel in a manner which yields a tight joint wheniinished, but has desired clearances when being assembled or adjusted.

Other objects of the invention lwill in part be obvious and will in partappear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the features oi construction,combination of elements, and arrangement of parts, which will beexemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope ofthe application of which will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding oi the nature and objects of the invention,reference should be had to the following detailed description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view mainly in vertical cross-section showing a containerfor liquefied gases constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing a detail in theconstruction of the container shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modif-led form of the. constructionaldetail shown in Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, 10 denotes a pressure vessel, here shownas spherical in form and disposed within and spaced from an outer casingor envelope 11the intervening space being preferably lled with heatinsulating ma- P5 terial 12, which may be of any suitable char- (Cl.E20-9) acter, for example, porous magnesium carbonate.

'I'he pressure vessel 10 has a relatively thick wall and is secured inthe casing in any convenient manner, for example, by means of cables orchains 13 that are anchored at one end to the. 60 interior cylindricalwall portion of the casing 11 and at the other end to lugs on asupporting ring 14 which holds the pressure vessel 10. A fillingconnectior 15 is shown as passing through theV dome of t. e casing 11and extending into the 65 pressure vessel 10. A withdrawal connection 16for gas material in the liquid phase is shown as leading from the bottomof the pressure vessel and the wall of the casing 11 to the exterior.Withdrawal connections for gas material in the gas phase may, of course,be provided, but the showing thereof has been omitted in the interestsof clearness oi illustration.

In the practice of the present invention, the pressure vessel 10 isprovided with a complete 75 lining or basket 18 which has a closed-intop and is spaced from the inner wall of the pressure vessel by spacingmeans 19 that may be laterally disposed so as to aiord ring-likesupports which support the basket in substantially horizontal planes.The basket thus provided is relatively thin and has a shell-like spacesurrounding the same within the pressure vessel, which insulates thebasket from the relatively thick Wall of the pressure vessel; the latterbeing generally a few degrees warmer than the basket itself. Theconnections at 15 and 16 are arranged to communicate with the interiorof the basket.

Since the pressure within and without the bas- 9U ket 18, in thepressure vessel, will not equalize of itself by reason of the basketconstruction here employed, special pressure equalizing means areprovided. The means here shown as illustrative comprise on or moreconduit members 20 ar- 95 ranged to establish communication between thespaces on the interior and exterior of the basket 18. Care, however, istaken in arranging these members so that liquid splashing in the basketwill not pass through such members into the shell-like space 1about thebasket. To this end, such conduit members `are preferably tubular inform and extend from a region or zone within and near the top of thespace enclosed by the basket to a region or zone without the basket 103in the shell-like space near the bottom thereof. The tubular conduit 20here shown is disposed on the outside of pressure vessel l0 and passesthrough the wall thereof at the upper end to communicate with theinterior of the basket 18 119 and through the wall at the lower end tocommunicate with the shell-like space on the exterior of the basket. y

In order that the passage of the conduit 20 through the wall of thepressure vessel 10 `may be effected in a manner which vis bothduid-tight and readily manufactured, the wall of the pressure vessel ispreferably initially bored with an opening larger than is required forthe passage of the conduit alone and is afterwards tted with a reducingbushing that is easily inserted rand made fluid-tight. An advantageousarrangement for achieving this end is vshown in Fig. 2.

Here an opening 2l is shown in the wall-of the pressure vessel throughwhich passes a nipple 22 extending outwardly from the wall of thebasket. This opening clears the nipple amply for the reception of abushing 23 which is here shown as screw threaded o n the outside forengagement with the bore of the opening 21. The bushing itself has anopening sufficient to fit snugly around the nipple passing therethrough.The protruding end of this nipple affords convenent means on which toanchor a down-turned end of the conduit 20, the outermost portion of thenipple being preferably slightly expanded for this purpose, as indicatedat 24, after bushing 23 has been put over nipple 22. To make 'the partswhen thus in place duid-tight, brazing is preferably applied at thejoints as indicated at 25.

An alternative form for making this connection is shown in Fig. 3, wherethe nipple itself does not form part of the conduit that affords thecommunication. Here the wall of the basket 18 is provided with a nipple28 that is but slightly smaller in diameter than that of the pressure'4vessel. When in place, the outer end of the nipple is rolled overagainst the wall of the pressure vessel and a recessed plate 30 clampeddown over it. This plate also carries as an integral part thereof aninwardly extending nipple or bushing 31 which fits into the nipple 29and provides support for a pipe connection 32 that is brazed thereto andprovides the communicating passage through the wall of the pressurevessel with the space within the basket. The plate 30 is secured inplace by means of a bolt 33 that engages with the wall of the pressurevessel, the plate being preferably made fluid-tight by brazing as shownapplied at 34. These constructions are seen to be adapted to providefluid-tight passage through the wall of the pressure vessel with theshell-like space about the basket by omitting the nipple on the basketwall and employing instead short pipe connections that pass only throughthe pressure Vessel wall.

Since certain changes may be made in` the above construction anddifferent embodiments of the invention could be made without departingfrom the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in theabove description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Y

Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a container for liqueed gas, the combination comprising arelatively thick-walled pressure Vessel having' a spaced inner'basketforL holding the liquefied gas, said basket being provided with a topportion sealing off the space within the basket from that without thesame, the said space without the basket being shelllike and serving toinsulate thermally the basket .within the basket from that without thesame,

the said space without the basket being shelllike and serving toinsulate thermally the basket from said vessel, and an unrestrictedconduit member disposedl on the outside of said vessel and arranged tocommunicate at one end with the space within said basket and at theother end with the shell-like space without said basket, whereby thepressures in said spaces may be quickly equalized. 3. In a container forliquefied gas, the combination comprising a relatively thick-walledpressure vessel provided with a spaced inner basket having a closed-intop and adapted for holding the lique-f fied gas, the interveningshell-like space serving to insulate thermally the basket from saidvessel, the wall of said pressure vessel being formed with openings intwo different portions thereof, means in an opening in one of saidportions extending into and establishing communication with the spacewithin said basket, and an unrestricted conduit member arranged toconnect an opening in the other portion with said communication means ina fluid-tight manner. 110

4. In a container forliquefled gas, the combination comprising apressure vessel provided with a spaced inner basket having a closed-,intop and adapted for holding the liquefied gas, the interveningshell-like space serving to insulate thermally the basket from saidvessel, the wall of said pressure Vessel being formed with openings inboth the upper and lower portions, nipples secured in the wall of saidbasket and communicating with the interior thereof, said nipples a whenin placeA extending through the openings in tra Athe upper portion ofsaid pressure vessel wall,

ings in the lower portion of said pressure vessel wall with said nipplesin a fluid-tight manner.

5. In a container for liquefied gas, the combination comprising apressure vessel provided with a spaced inner basket having a closed-intop and adapted for holding the liquefied gas, the inter- ,130 veningshell-like space serving to insulate thermally the basket from saidvessel, the wall oi said pressure vessel being formed with openings inboth the upper and lower portions, nipples secured in the wall of saidbasket and communi- 135. cating with the interior thereof, said nippleswhen in place extending through the openings in the upper portion ofsaid pressure vessel wall and clearing the same by a substantial margin,bushings in said openings in said pressure vessel wall arranged toembrace said nipples and to llsaid clearances, said bushings beinglsealed in said openings in a fluid-tight manner, and tubular members onthe outside of said pressure vessel connected to said nipples in afluid-tight manner.

6. In a container for liquefied gas, the combination with an insulatingenvelope having a" supporting casing, of a relatively thick walledpressure vessel supported in said insulating envelope, an inner basketdisposed in spaced relation within said pressure vessel and'havng aclosed in top.

the intervening shell-like space serving to insulate' in said pressurevessel and having a closed in top, the intervening shell-like spaceserving to insulate thermally the basket from said vessel, a tubularmember disposed in said insulating envelope communicating with the spacewithin said basket at its upper end and communicating with seidshell-like space at its lower end, and liquid withdrawal connectionscommunicating with the space within said basket at the lower end.

ODD ARNOLD HANSEN. LYMAN A. BLISS.

